ICI now live streaming hearing on flood control scandal; Laguna solon quizzed

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) live streamed for the first time on Tuesday, Dec. 2, a hearing on the anomalous flood control projects following nonstop pressure from officials and ordinary Filipinos alike to make its proceedings public.

- By JOSEPH PEDRAJAS

Laguna 4th District Rep. Benjamin Agarao was the first resource person whose hearing was live streamed since the ICI started digging into the flood control projects mess almost three months ago.

Agarao was one of the lawmakers implicated by the controversial contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya in the anomalous flood control projects.

The Laguna 4th District congressman denied personally knowing the controversial contractor-couple.

Appearing at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) hearing, which was live streamed for the first time, Agarao said he was surprised when the Discaya couple tagged him during an earlier Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, especially since he also denied having any dealings with them.

He said he does not have any idea on the motive of the couple in implicating him in controversy, especially when the alleged flood control project they cited was implemented at the time he was not a sitting House member.

Agarao was a congressman from 2004 to 2007, from 2013 to 2022, and from July 2025 until the present.

The period that the couple cited when the project was implemented was during the term of his daughter, former congresswoman Jam Agarao, who he defended as even "kinder" than him.

The Discayas had also claimed that they gave Agarao an "exotic bulldog" on top of giving him P9 million in advance as kickbacks for an upcoming project in his district.